Pig housing space requirement is important in keeping your pigs comfortable.

Just like any other relationship it must be give and take, “give your pigs the best possible condition they could live in and they would return the favor of giving you a good profit!”

Pigs have all their right to be given a house to stay at least before they are taken to their final destination. A house where they could eat, sleep, drink and mingle or housed separately. But it is not enough that you just provide them with room or their own space, because for them SIZE MATTERS.

 Planning is one of the keys to profitable pig farming and there are a lot of ways to have one.

By giving them the right housing space they need, you already eliminate one factor that will drag your business down.

Majority of hog producers here in the Philippines come from backyard operations, meaning most of the house designs are still using natural ventilation.

Pig housing space requirement must be properly measured. Failing to follow the recommended sizes could lead you to possible death and poor growth of your animals.

You might already started your hog raising and here you will find out why following the right size is important.

Do you already have a land that you wanted to use?

Or your’e planning to buy one?

Hold your pigs! They are not going anywhere…

Let this post help you make those pigs enjoy their stay to your pig farm.

And if your ready let’s now calculate the number of pens/crates required for their assigned rooms.
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Living room showcase

Your pigs like to have a good living condition and the right room space is important in providing them a temperature fit for their body requirement. It acts like a natural way of pulling the excess body heat they will produce, though this will not be enough, but at least you stop them from rubbing with each others body especially when the weather is hot. You could refer to this post and check the chart in determining the ideal temperature for your demanding pigs.

You don’t have enough space.

If you have a 500 s.q.m of land on a grow-out/fattening operation, and lets say you can build 35 pens on it with 10 pigs each, you have 350 heads of pig.

Right?

Do not fit 12 pigs if the pen can only accommodate ten. Their comfortability is critical and by overcrowding them it can result to:

• Fighting
• The chance to get a food and drink well will be hard for others
• Inability to eat
• Tail biting

Dj Mix

Can you remember yourself in a birthday party and you don’t know anybody but the celebrant?

And the food was right in the middle and you’re already hungry?

When pigs are mixed they undergo a period in which they establish connection with other pigs and sometimes it leads to fighting and when this happens most pigs are affected and they do not eat. It then leads to your pigs not gaining enough weight when the time comes for you to market them.

• Mix an appropriately equal number of pigs in a pen.
• Try not to add new pigs in a group that is already formed ( it will result to bullying, we hate bullies don’t we?)

Should I keep Them in One pen or Different pen Every Stage

Pigs have different environmental and climate requirements during different stages of growth.

In order to reach their full potential, piglets require warmer temperature, and while pigs gets bigger they prefer lower temperature that is perfect for their body needs. Changing pens is advisable when you have a big population when your production is large.

Because up to 36% of the floor surface for sleeping space will be saved.

The saving is possible because pigs require floor space of varying sizes as they grow bigger. If they are kept in the same pen from birth to marketing, floor space is wasted.

When changing pens, the following needs to be kept in mind:

• It has a stressful influence on pigs because the unfamiliar surroundings of the new pen could affect the growth rate, also with its ability to convert food to gain weight.
• More than two pen changes is not advisable because of the negative effects on growth rate.
• Pen changing is only beneficial if the production unit is large.
• Pen changing requires more labor costs due to cleaning and disinfection.
• Management is more demanding.

Single pen

With single pen system, the litter is housed in a single pen weaning to slaughter stage. Pigs housed in a single pen system show about 2% better growth rate and 13% more efficient feed efficiency than pigs that change pens in the normal fashion.

Also, there are fewer cases of tail biting and cannibalism, and they don’t have to be disinfected all more often. The system also requires less labor.

The disadvantage of the single pen system is that pens cannot be used at its best, in turn increases your housing costs.

So lowering down costs and saving money is visible if you would change pen, if you have a big population. But if you don’t stick to single pen is more practical.

Formula for calculating required number of Pen

Calculating your required pig pens changes depending on pig production.

• Grow-out/fattening
• Garrow to finnish
• Farrow to weanling
  

You can do this on your own. It’s easy,  just  put the numbers via Microsoft excel and adjust figures you need, and that’s it! Or you want me just to send you a copy so that you could automatically calculate your pen requirements for free.

TELL ME WHERE TO SEND IT?
If you are using a yahoo account,check your spam folder and click the not spam, after that it will go directly to your inbox and you can download it from there.

[email-download download_id=”595″ contact_form_id=”177″]

“Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail” -Allen Lakein

This is a very beautiful and applicable to us pig farmers  because it’s  obvious that in any kind of business you are going to try,  you must have the idea of how you are going to start producing them, and with the knowledge that you have right now in giving your pigs the right space, they will have a worthwhile stay in your pig farm.

And when they are ready for market they would remember you for it and leave you something in return by giving you a good income and a good profit. This is why your taking good care of them in the first place right?

So take a pen and paper, or better turn on your computer enter the formula on excel and that’s it!

But if you’re  too busy let me just do it for you.

Download your file right here, and start calculating how much pens you need for your pig operation.

Strategize

Your ability to find ways and create a strategic way to your management doesn’t have to stop here!

That’s what makes this business so rewarding because it’s challenging at the same time!

One movie from Tom Cruise where he wakes up everyday doing the same routine, and when he dies, he got another chance again to do things right, again, and again and again….. Until he finally makes it!

You might be looking at this business the one that could give you your everyday need.

It’s possible!

It will be tough for sure!

Making it at the first try is the best idea but you shouldn’t give up when you didn’t make it at the beginning  because you can get back up and do things right, again, and again and again!

Happy farming Agrivengers!

Sources:

Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards PAES 401:2001
Agricultural Structures – Housing for Swine Production
manual on housing on pigs
Handling Pigs by Temple Grandin and  Collette Schultz-Kaster